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Tammara Soma
Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University
Professional Background
Tammara Soma has established herself as a leading figure in the field of urban planning and food systems in Canada. As an Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University, she combines her academic prowess with practical experience to influence the disciplines of urban planning and food policy. Her role as the Director of Research and Co-Founder of the Food Systems Lab marks a significant milestone, as this innovative lab is the first of its kind in Canada dedicated to addressing pressing issues of food systems and food waste. Tammara's passion for creating sustainable solutions showcases her commitment to fostering social innovation in the food sector.
Her rich professional journey began with a strong foundation in urban planning, having completed her Ph.D. at the prestigious University of Toronto. Tammara's postdoctoral fellowship at the same institution further solidified her standing as a thought leader in this domain. She has not only shared her research insights through numerous publications in leading academic journals, but her work has also been prominently featured in mainstream media outlets such as the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, CBC, the Huffington Post, IBI Times, TVO The Agenda, and CTV. This blend of academic rigor and public engagement makes her a unique voice in the conversation about food systems, food equity, and multiculturalism in urban contexts.
Education and Achievements
Tammara's educational background is as impressive as her professional journey. She pursued her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Urban Planning at the University of Toronto, a journey that equipped her with the expertise to address complex issues related to urban food systems. Prior to this, she earned her Master of Science in Planning (MSc.Pl) in Urban and Regional Planning from the same university, which provided her with a deep understanding of the planning processes that shape cities.
Her academic pursuits began with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies, with a minor in International Development Studies from York University. This multidisciplinary education laid the groundwork for Tammara’s holistic approach to food systems, emphasizing the interconnectedness of environmental challenges and societal issues.
In addition to her formal education, Tammara is a polyglot, being a native speaker of Bahasa Indonesia and fluent in English, while also learning Spanish and French. This linguistic ability enriches her interactions in diverse settings, allowing her to engage a broader audience on topics critical to food equity and sustainable urban development.
Notable Contributions and Community Engagement
Beyond academia, Tammara has made significant contributions to various organizations and initiatives aimed at enhancing food systems in Canada. Her previous roles include serving as a Global Food Equity Coordinator and Lecturer at the University of Toronto – New College, where she inspired students to think critically about the implications of food systems on equity and health. Her leadership as the Co-Founder of the Food Systems Lab has positioned her at the forefront of social innovation, propelling initiatives that address food waste and fostering new dialogues around sustainable practices in food production and consumption.
Tammara has also played an active role in policy advocacy and community engagement. She was a Vice-Chair at the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council, where she harnessed the voices of young people in urban food policy discussions. Furthermore, her involvement as a Planning Policy Assistant at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing reflects her commitment to public service and urban planning. Her past positions have granted her valuable insights into policy frameworks that govern food systems, allowing her to effect change on multiple levels.
Given her extensive expertise, Tammara is often invited to speak at conferences and workshops about critical themes such as food waste reduction, food systems reform, and multiculturalism's impact on food equity. She shares her research findings and practical solutions with a diverse audience, fostering collaborative approaches to addressing the complex challenges faced by today’s food systems.
In addition to her speaking engagements, Tammara also co-manages the Food Waste and Food Loss group on LinkedIn and is the Co-Founder of the International Food Loss and Food Waste Studies Group. These platforms enable her to connect with a global network of experts, share best practices, and advocate for impactful strategies to minimize food loss and waste.
Tammara Soma’s unique blend of academic excellence, practical experience, and community leadership is paving the way for transformative changes in the food systems landscape of Canada. Her dedication to addressing food equity and waste serves as an inspiration to many, positioning her as a catalyst for change in the realm of social innovation and urban planning.
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.